Colorado soldier, 21, is convicted of killing fellow serviceman, 23, he caught sleeping with his wife of six weeks after she asked for a divorce
- Colorado jury convicted Pfc. Isaiah Towns, 21, Tuesday following week-long trial
- He killed love rival Spc. Shakir D. Cook-Troynel, 23, in November 2018 after he caught him sleeping with his wife Ashley Charmain Mary Pace, 27
- Cook-Troynel, 23, had left an Army party saying he was going to have sex
- When Towns got home later he heard ‘moans coming from the master bedroom’
- Towns said he used the gun to scare his friend who was standing undressed, but accidentally pulled the trigger during a struggle with his wife
A soldier has been found guilty of reckless manslaughter and menacing after he shot and killed his Army colleague who he found sleeping with his newlywed wife.
A Colorado jury convicted Pfc. Isaiah Towns, 21, on Tuesday following a week-long trial that found he fatally injured Spc. Shakir D. Cook-Troynel after returning home to Stratus Apartment Homes on El Paso County’s southeast side in November 2018.
Towns said Cook-Troynel, 23, had left a party on Fort Carson in Colorado Springs, telling another friend he was going to have sex.
But when that friend drove Towns home around 2am, Towns heard ‘moans coming from the master bedroom’ where Ashley Charmain Mary Pace, his spouse of six weeks, was with a half-naked Cook-Troynel.
A Colorado jury convicted Pfc. Isaiah Towns, 21, on Tuesday following a week-long trial
He killed love rival Spc. Shakir D. Cook-Troynel, 23, in November 2018 after he caught him sleeping with his wife
The incident occurred at the Stratus Apartment Homes on El Paso County’s southeast side, shared with new wife Ashley Charmain Mary Pace, in November 2018
The court heard how Pace had recently asked for a divorce. KRDO reports Pace and Cook-Troynel were previously in a relationship and had a child together.
Towns told officers he only pulled out the firearm to scare and ‘get answers’ from his friend who was standing in the closet with the door open.
But Towns’ 27-year-old wife struggled with him over the pistol, encouraging a burst of adrenaline as she yelled and pushed him, then the gun discharged, striking Cook-Troynel in the torso.
When Towns first called 911 he lied and told the dispatcher someone had broken into his apartment, shot a man and then left.
He initially gave the wrong street number for the S Murray Boulevard address and later confirmed the correct apartment.
‘It wasn’t supposed to happen like this,’ a defense lawyer said in court. ‘This was supposed to be a scare tactic.’
Towns said Cook-Troynel had earlier left a party on Fort Carson in Colorado Springs (pictured), telling another friend he was going to have sex
Prosecutors argued Towns was in full control of the weapon and shot Cook-Troynel on purpose.
Cook-Troynel had been in the Army since May 2015 and was assigned to the 4th Infantry Division’s 1st Brigade Combat Team at Fort Carson in Colorado Springs.
He was deployed to Afghanistan from May to July 2018 and the Army said Cook-Troynel – of Homestead, Florida – had received several commendations including the Army Achievement Medal.
Towns, of Batesville, Mississippi was a signal support systems specialist on the brigade.
Towns is scheduled to be sentenced April 3 and could get three to nine years behind bars.
He faces one to three years for class five felony menacing, plus two to six years for the class four reckless manslaughter.
Towns told officers he only pulled out the firearm to ‘get answers’ from Cook-Troynel (pictured left and right) who was standing in the closet with the door open but accidentally pulled the trigger. Cook-Troynel had been in the Army since May 2015 and was assigned to the 4th Infantry Division’s 1st Brigade Combat Team